You are sick and tired of staring at the mint-green shag carpet you currently have in your living room. When you bought the house, you thought the carpet in the living room gave it a bit of character. Now, it is just one hot mess. At one point, you bought an Oriental rug that covered much of the carpet and gives the room a new look. But now, even after having the rug and carpet cleaned by Oriental Express, your rug cleaning service in Las Vegas, you know that the carpet needs to go.

But now you need to decide what type of flooring you would like to have. There are many choices, you know. You could go with a new carpet, something modern that will make the room look great again. You could opt for hardwood floors, which would be another good choice. Here are a few flooring options and the pros and cons of each to help you make a decision.

Hardwood Floors

Without a doubt, hardwood floors would add character to your home, their sleek and clean look create a look that appeals to most everybody. Hardwood floors are eco-friendly as they are the most renewable flooring material. They are also long-lasting, you can expect your hardwood floors to last a lifetime, which means you shouldn’t have to worry about having it replaced at all.

And while you might be a messy person, you won’t have to spend much time cleaning your hardwood floors. You see, it is quite easy to keep this type of flooring clean as all it needs is a good sweeping and mopping from time to time.

If you are thinking about selling your home, you need to know that hardwood floors are a big perk for those who may be interested in buying it. In addition, hardwood floors add value to your home.

You might think that hardwood floors come in just a few styles, but that just isn’t true. Hardwood floors have just as much variety as carpet. With so many options, finding a style that looks great in the living room and compliments your personality is quite easy. And know that whatever style of hardwood flooring you choose, it will not go out of style anytime soon. As a matter of fact, your hardwood floors will never go out of style.

But best of all, your Oriental rug will look simply stunning on your new hardwood floors.

There are a few downsides to having hardwood floors. Wood floors are a costly option, especially if you are using an exotic wood. Your hardwood floor will need to be refinished occasionally, something you need to consider before choosing the type of flooring you want. Lastly, a hardwood floor can be noisy, which could be a nuisance to some.

Tile Flooring

Anybody in the real estate business will tell you that tile floors will increase your home’s resale value. That is good news if you plan on selling in the near future. And if you properly maintain your tile flooring, it will last a very long time.

Tile is also the ideal surface if you are considering a radiant floor heating system. These types of heating systems are becoming increasingly popular in the United States.

Tile floors are nontoxic and work very well for anybody who has allergies. As for care, tile flooring is fairly easy to clean and maintain. Dirt, stains and liquids all tend to rest on the surface, which means all you have to do is use a mop or rag to wash them away. Sweeping of the tile floors or using a vacuum with an attachment will keep them free of dirt and loose debris.

As for style, there are a great number of styles from which you can choose. Just like carpet and wood floors, tile comes printed in numerous ways and can be mixed and matched to provide a floor that is quite unique.

And although tile flooring is tough and durable, it is also somewhat uncomfortable to stand on. So you will definitely want to incorporate your Oriental rug into the room should you choose tile flooring. As you can imagine, tile floors will be rather cold to the touch on frigid mornings should you forget to put on your slippers.

Carpet

Just because you are having a bad experience with your mint-green carpet doesn’t mean you should exclude carpet from flooring choices completely. In fact, carpet has many great qualities and could be the choice of flooring for your living room.

Carper delivers a thermal resistance, which means when it gets cold outside, your living room will remain warmer than if you used other types of flooring. In addition to warmth, carpet is cozy and comfortable, you could even throw away your slippers. If you have kids, they will love lounging on the carpet to read their books and play their games.

Carpet is also a safe choice as they soften slips and falls.

As with tile and hardwood, there are many colors and style of carpet top choose, you don’t have to go with the mint-green shag again.

The downside to carpet is that it requires a whole lot of attention. You will spend many hours trying to keep it clean. When you spill, you can expect about a half hour of your life lost due to the cleaning process. Carpets also attract stains, have a shorter lifespan than other flooring choices and depending on the style you choose, can go out of style.

But whatever type of flooring you choose, remember to call Oriental Express to have your rugs cleaned after the new floors go in.

A thicker pile isn’t always better.

Don’t equate thick pile with quality. Some of the highest quality rugs you’ll see will be quite thin. The key is understanding what kind of rug should go where. For instance, an expensive, thin-pile rug will suffer in a high-traffic area. Get a rug with some thick toughness if it’s going to need to stand up to consistent wear and tear.

Understand pile height.

If you aren’t sure which pile height is which, here is a helpful guide:

Low: less than ¼”

Medium: ¼” to ½”

Long/Plush: ½” to ¾”

Some shag piles go even longer than this, but we hope this guide helps you feel a bit more familiar with the concept of pile.

A shorter pile is a stronger pile.

A rug with shorter pile will last longer than a rug with long pile. Why? Because short pile is both easier to vacuum and less susceptible to damage.

Furniture will have an impact on the pile.

The longer the pile of your rug, the more vulnerable it is to being crushed by the feet and bases of furniture. All furniture generally leaves some sort of indentation on carpeting, but if you have a rug you treasure for softness, you might want to keep it out from under your furniture.

Long pile rugs must be cleaned with care.

Your vacuum can catch the pile on shag and long-pile rugs, causing damage. Be careful when you clean your rugs (better yet, let us do it).